Professional Agency Reviews invariably reveal backlog in most of the profit centers (Personal Lines, Commercial Lines, etc.). There’s no way to do regular account reviews for Personal Lines and small Commercial Lines, because the CSR 'doesn’t have time.' In this document, Jack Fries tells you how to motivate people to eliminate backlog and provide customers with the service that they deserve.
This situation has bothered me — as an agency owner and as a consultant — for years. The first challenge is to ensure that the correct systems and procedures are in place. To accomplish this, you have to do two things. First, review your current systems and procedures to determine if your staff is doing unnecessary work. Interview staff about their current practices and then create a workflow chart. You must then reduce these procedures to writing, with mandatory adherence.
Second, make sure that your staff is using the full capabilities of your agency management system and other available third-party hardware and software. This includes the entry of complete information in your system, the use of form letters, and regular training in correct use of the system. It also requires the implementation of imaging or electronic filing — which can ultimately boost productivity by 25%-42%.
The next objective is to set job standards. A job description won’t do the trick. You need to quantify the work. If you expect zero backlog, account rounding, timely renewal processing, and the securing of referrals, write these requirements into the job description.
The final, and probably the most important, step is to provide the motivation for attaining zero backlog. In the past, the reward for having zero backlog was to give the employee more work. Why would anyone want to get caught up, if their reward was more work? There has to be a carrot!
I’ve found that telecommuters can do their work in 60% of the time it takes them to accomplish the same functions in the office. There are several reasons for this. For one thing, telecommuters don’t have to deal with interruptions from phone calls, the intercom, or casual conversation with other employees. But there’s another motivator that’s easy to overlook: the telecommuter knows that when they’re done — they’re done. No one will give them extra work and they’ll have free time to focus on other personal or business tasks.
If you want zero backlog and complete adherence to agency job standards, offer rewards to people who achieve or exceed the goals you’ve set in their job standards. A Friday afternoon off, a free dinner at a fine restaurant, and cash incentives are among the options available to you.
Remember, if you don’t reward excellence in your organization, you’ll encourage mediocrity!